The Las Vegas Raiders made the decision to fire head coach Antonio Pierce after just one season. The franchise is looking to get back into contention and felt that Pierce wasn’t the man to lead them there. Apparently that feeling also extended to the front office and GM Tom Telesco as well.
According to Ian Rapaport of NFL Network, the Raiders have fired GM Tom Telesco after just one season at the helm as well:
The #Raiders have fired GM Tom Telesco. pic.twitter.com/rr3RlwIQfY
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) January 9, 2025
The move to fire Telesco is a bit of a surprise as it is borderline impossible for a GM to completely rebuild in just one offseason. Telesco did well in the draft, with first-round pick TE Brock Bowers turning in a historic first season, while other selections such as Jackson Powers-Johnson, DJ Glaze and Decameron Richardson all played big roles for the team throughout the season and held up well.
The timing of this move is a bit weird, however, as most teams move immediately after the season if they plan to fire coaches and GMs. The Raiders, instead, waited a couple of days first to fire Pierce and then a couple more days to relieve Telesco of his duties, which will lead to many questions in itself.
It is well known that minority owner Tom Brady is expected to have a big say in these big decisions the franchise must make this offseason. Brady has reportedly already reached out to former Patriots coach Bill Belichick, not to mention his former Patriots teammate Mike Vrabel is believed to be a candidate for the Raiders head coach position as well. Perhaps this move could help if the Raiders’ target as head coach wants power in the player personnel department as well. Or it could be a matter of Brady wanting a GM he has a previous relationship with.
Either way, the Raiders must find stability and consistency in these positions if they plan on turning this franchise around. Constant change at the top is never good, and Brady and Mark have to nail these choices this offseason to begin that process of the Raiders getting back to contender status.
Raiders DC Patrick Graham drawing interest from other teams
Another important member of the Raiders coaching staff was defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, who got his unit to perform at a respectable level despite a number of injuries plaguing the roster. Graham’s contract with the Raiders is now up, and he is already drawing interest from other teams.
Graham is reportedly a candidate for the Jacksonville Jaguars head coaching position and is also expected to interview for the Cincinnati Bengals defensive coordinator position. There will be a lot of changes coming for the Raider,s and they must get the right people in these positions for this franchise to succeed.
